The Plight of Death
by arevelo
Summary: When what seemed like a simple yet ruthless prank causes a series of chain reactions that could determine the demise or rebirth of the kingdom, all the cards have to be dealt. And that includes Carissa Hartain.


Alright, so this is a brand new fanfic I've written. After several edits, this was the best that I could do. Unfortunately, this chapter is embarrassingly short but no worries, they will get longer. 

**Full summary: The Cakatashi are a group of the strongest and yet most barbaric men the land's ever seen. They're ruthless and they kill without a second thought. This is the enemy the kingdom is faced with. What starts out as a simple yet ruthless prank begins a chain reaction of events that could either lead to the demise or rebirth of the kingdom. Its when no one expects it that the enemy hits hardest. **

The darkness of the night did not make the situation any more calming for Carissa. In fact, it made everything seem so much more frightening. She could feel the brisk night wind brush across her cheek, sharp and cutting. The forest managed to block out most of the silvery moonlight, casting shadows left and right. She sighed, brushing away a bead of sweat from her forehead. Carissa could hear the leaves crushing beneath her feet, she could hear the rustlings she made amongst the peace of the forest and she could see the trails she left. They taunted her, again and again, forcing her to remember exactly why she was in this position in the first place.

_It would be easy_, they'd said, smirks crossing their faces. _All you would have to do is just gather some piece of evidence that they're here. After all, with your excellent fighting skills_, and a snort was heard here, _you have nothing to fear, am I right?_ She should have known better, Carissa groaned, reprimanding herself. It was her own fault she was stuck here in the middle of the woods, lost, alone and very much frightened. She should have been more than used to their teasing and jibes, the lost of control when she had agreed to the task was embarrassing. They'd all known it would end up like this.

However, what was even more depressing was how mopey she sounded even to herself. It was completely unlike her usual self and yet, she couldn't stop. She felt jittery and something in the night air just didn't feel right. Something felt amiss.

Myst laughed drunkenly, his eyes hazed and blank. This was always the best part of the day, well or night, whichever way you wanted to look at it. It was the time when he could just get piss drunk and forget all the bloodshed that occurred earlier. In fact, it was at times like this that he even felt it worth joining with the Cakatashi. After all, if you felt no remorse, heck, if you didn't even remember it, then all the killing never really happened did it? He laughed again, swaying dangerously on his feet.

"Oy! Mackenzie! Whatcha' laughing 'bout o'er there?"

"Ughh…it's no use Kaine, when he get's like this, that dude is about good as dead."

"Ya don't seem ta' be in much better shape o'er there!" Another voice called out, reducing the group of tough, strong men to nothing but a fit of giggles.

The camp was filled with noise and drunken laughter. Fires burned brightly while the men sat on logs around it, passing the bottles of alcohol ceremoniously. This was the Cakatashi. Feared and hated with a passion. Their killings spread like a fire in a forest, known to all. They tortured and laughed at it, grinned at the sight of death and went to sleep every night snoozing like a baby. It almost ironic in a sense.

Carissa paused and looked around her, a frown marring her face. She could hear the faint sounds of laughter and it surprisingly excited her. Maybe she was finally near the end of this dastardly forest; maybe she could actually come out of this alive too. However, years of cynicism does not let itself be so easily forgotten and almost immediately, doubt set in. After all, when did luck ever come in her direction? With a few more steps, the skeptic proved to be true. It was quite obvious that coming from the direction she was heading towards, came floating down a series of drunken laughter.

Carissa could feel her heart beat faster. It was common knowledge that bandits often frequented this part of the forest and she was more than adept at handling herself, but what if the rumours proved to be true? What if it really was the Cakatashi that was here?

Her feet seemed to be moving on it's own accord, taking steps after steps towards that direction despite the warnings that her brain was desperately sending them. It was futile by that time, she had been spotted. Carissa hadn't even noticed that until the shout gave it away. It's pretty hard to not notice a group of drunken men rush towards you waving their swords and daggers madly around, all the while roaring with a strange battle cry of some sort.

Lee was ready. As the only one of the men around that hadn't drank a drop of alcohol, he was pretty sure he was their only chance of catching that girl, whom by the looks of it, was actually quite prepared for a fight. She had quickly reached into her tunic and retrieved a short dagger of some sort and began running, surprisingly, towards them. Pretty confident for someone who was about to die. He unsheathed his sword with a hint of fatigue and rushed to meet that lone opponent. It was definitely better amusement than watching his fellow comrades become drunk. After the first few times, the humour wears off rather quickly.

Wasting no time on thought, he acted instinctively, brushing past some others to the front of the party. His eyes had a glint in them and his sword was raised. There was no hope for this girl. His dark hair, untied, was blown backwards by the wind. He raised his sword, smirking and brought it down upon the girl, only to have it…blocked? Her small dagger had surprisingly blacked his swords and swiftly managed to knock it out of his hand. Anticipation and adrenaline rushed into his body as he unsheathed his second sword. Roars of his fellow comrades rang behind him as they too, gained up upon them and started slicing at the girl.

_Left, right, left, right. Thump, thump…ouch!_

The girl limped forward, wincing with every step she took.

Gasping, she grabbed her left arm, awkwardly slipping down into a sitting position. Hugging her knees up toward her chest she tried to slow down her rapid breaths. Carissa looked around her several times, making sure there wasn't anyone hiding around the trees and bushes. Assured, she bent down her head, removing her right hand from her left arm.

A deep gash the length of a small dagger appeared, blood oozing from it. The already dried blood tickled her wound making it hurt all the more. Wincing, she tore a strip of her ripped, torn and bloodied dress quickly binding her arm tightly. She shuddered to think of all the infections she could acquire but there was no better solution at the moment. Staggering to her feet, she reach upwards painfully and bound her hair up with another strip of her dress. Brushing off as much mud and blood as she could, Carissa smirked bitterly, happy that she was at least alive to feel this much pain.

She sighed with weariness; her head drooped a little as her steps slowed down with every step she took. Before long though, she collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Her eyes flitted close and before long, unconsciousness took over.


End file.
